1997年香港回歸中國之後，由於香港政府積極倡導「兩文三語」的語文政策，大力推行普通話，使普通話在香港初等和中學教育中得以長足發展，與廣州話和英語鼎足而立，成為香港基礎語文教育的重要成果之一。2004年3月，本研究以隨機抽樣方式，對香港6所中學的437位在校學生進行了一次問卷調查，目的是了解在回歸七年之後的特定歷史條件下，有一定獨立思考能力的香港中學生對學習普通話的態度。調查發現，截至調查時為止，對學習普通話持有清晰的正面態度的香港中學生不足一半；對學習普通話持明確負面態度的中學生約佔學生人數的一成半；另有約四成中學生對學習普通話持猶豫態度。此外，調查結果還顯示，從中國內地來港的新移民學生對學習普通話的態度比較複雜和不穩定。這些新移民學生雖然有比較好的普通話基礎，但卻有超過半數的人由於擔心說普通話會受社會歧視而對學習普通話抱有一定的抗拒心理。

On July 1, 1997, Hong Kong ceased to be a colony of the United Kingdom and became a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China (P.R.C.). The political transition has greatly affected many aspects of Hong Kong society, including language education. Putonghua, the official language of the P.R.C., has grown to be a powerful and important language in primary and secondary schools, sitting together with English and Cantonese side by side. The principal research question addressed in this study was students’ attitudes toward the learning of Putonghua in the context of post-colonial Hong Kong. This article documents findings obtained in a survey conducted in March 2004 on a random sample of 437 secondary school students in Hong Kong. Statistical analyses of the data showed that Hong Kong secondary school students had complicated attitudes toward the learning of Putonghua. In general, only half of the students held positive attitudes toward the learning of Putonghua based on more pragmatic and political reasons; and the other half was inclined to hold negative or ambiguous attitudes. In addition, students who were new immigrants from the Chinese mainland held hesitating or paradoxical attitudes toward the learning of Putonghua, because they were worried about being looked down or discriminated against if they spoke Putonghua.